Foreword

The inauguration of the government on 16 January 2006 following national elections in 2005 was a watershed in the history of Liberia. The elections symbolized the people's desire for peace, reconciliation, stability and development. They also served as a wake-up call to break from past government misrule, violence, divisiveness, human rights abuses and economic mismanagement, all of which shattered the lives of Liberians. Expressing their collective will through national elections, Liberians articulated their desire to build a new nation a Liberia that is peaceful, secure, prosperous, and inclusive and provides economic opportunities to the benefit of all. We have clearly heard the call of the people, and my government is fully responsive to the challenges facing our nation.

At the core of these challenges is deep and pervasive poverty. My government inherited a Liberia in which well over three quarters of the population lives below the poverty line of 1 United States Dollar per day, while about half the nation lives in severe poverty. This is unacceptable. The current unemployment of an overwhelming majority of Liberia's people, mainly youth, is also an unacceptable fact that needs to be reversed.  Access to and delivery of basic services such as health, education and potable water is severely restricted for most people. Collapsed national and local institutions and structures have resulted in very poor governance and widespread corruption.  Food insecurity prevails, which only exacerbates poverty. Gender disparities and violence against women are deep social maladies.  Structural deficiencies and deficits in key areas such as information and statistics, media, laws, regulations and policies also contribute to the challenge of rebuilding.  

The people of Liberia deserve a better life and their call for it imposes on all of us my government, the international community, regional partners, civil society, and academics and well wishers of Liberia an urgent call to action to overcome these challenges. Deepening poverty in Liberia is not only a threat to national peace and security, it is also a threat  to  the  entire  region  and  to  the  world  order.  

Therefore, my government has accorded the top-most priority to addressing these challenges, in particular, arresting national economic and social decline, maintaining peace and security while responding to the deep wounds of the civil war, enhancing accountable governance to facilitate reconstruction and significant poverty reduction and promoting reconciliation.

We have undertaken the first steps in collaboration with our people and our development partners. A key response was the 150-Day Action Plan that my government successfully concluded. Though we have achieved some results, the road is long and challenges remain.  Limited basic services have been restored, the beginnings of democratic governance initiated, economic performance has improved with prospects looking brighter and peace and security have been maintained. These visible changes, although small in comparison to what needs to be done, have renewed hope for Liberians and created a belief that their future will be brighter tomorrow.

This Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy is a part of the continuum of such efforts. It centers on consolidating national peace and positioning the nation on a path of sustained, people-centered poverty reduction, economic growth and sustainable human development. The strategy was jointly developed through a participatory process that involved consultations with stakeholders throughout the 15 counties of Liberia and thus reflects the desires of the people.

My government has pledged and is committed to governing differently, decisively breaking from the past to deliver on its promise of significantly reduced poverty in Liberia. Intrinsically, Liberia is not a poor country, but rather is a country that has been managed poorly over the years.  My government intends to capitalize on the nation’s inherent strengths, specifically natural wealth and human resources, to the benefit of all people without discrimination and in an equitable manner. Only by doing this can we deepen democracy and ensure peace and prosperity for each Liberian.

However, these endeavors cannot fall solely on the shoulders of the government. They have to be a collective effort of all Liberians, our international partners, civil society and the private sector.  Each has a major role to play.  With such collective efforts, I expect significant progress over the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy period towards achieving our vision of consolidating peace, enhancing justice, deepening democracy, promoting human development and irreversibly setting Liberia on the path towards long-term growth and development.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President